AWD Required or not (Allentown, Bethlehem: home, buying, maintenance)

[newtwotown]

Florida boy moving to the area. I'll need to buy a car when I get there. Do you recommend AWD or with all the new vehicles having traction control, is it really needed?
I noticed most of the dealers have a lot of AWD inventory.
thanks

[briantroutman]

Hi-

You had posted earlier about working in downtown Allentown and finding a place to live—possibly in Allentown or Bethlehem—right? If you’re living and working within the city or an inner-ring suburb, then I’d say you don’t need AWD and probably wouldn’t benefit much from it. If you planned to live out in the hinterland somewhere, had a long commute, or had a mission-critical job that required you to show up no matter what, I’d be more inclined to recommend it.

Making a broad generalization, there are relatively few days per year (maybe a half dozen) when snowfalls in the Lehigh Valley are so intense that snow plows can’t keep major roads clean enough that front-wheel drive cars can make it through slowly and cautiously. And in my experience most employers don’t expect employees to show up if the snow is that heavy.

Don’t get me wrong—it is nice to have all-wheel drive in Pennsylvania winters, and I say that as someone who’s had three Subarus over the years (my recommendation if you decide to buy an AWD vehicle, by the way). But you pay a premium for AWD, both up front when you buy the car and also over the years with increased maintenance for AWD components and reduced fuel economy (vs. what you’d get with a similarly sized FWD car). Now I own a front-wheel drive Volkswagen Golf, and though it’s not quite as sure-footed in the snow as the Subarus were, I can still get through most southeastern PA snows by driving carefully.

In terms of keeping safe in the winter, I’d certainly stress your own driving habits and skill and the maintenance of the car over its drivetrain. You have to drive much more slowly in the snow; take turns and brake very gradually. I’d recommend going to an empty parking lot on the first snowy day and practice: See how your car responds on a slippery surface and practice correcting a skid. And regarding maintenance, in addition to making sure that you’re car is well-maintained (so you don’t break down in the snow), tires are particularly critical, so make sure that you have good tread depth at the beginning of every winter season.

I hope this information helps!

[JohnZ963]

Unless you are going to live on a steep hill, in a low traffic area in one of the rural townships of the Valley that doesn't get plowed often, or have an employer where you must come in on time during a snowstorm no matter what (medical?), you don't need it, it's nice to have but FWD is just fine. Most years I find there are only a small handful of days where it really gives you an advantage. Usually during a snowstorm if you can stay put for a few hours until after it stops snowing and the plow crews can do their thing, any car will do.

A few years ago I had a new co-worker who my employer relocated to the LV from Georgia, and he had never spent a winter in a place with measurable snow. He went out and immediately bought a Chevy Tahoe with snow tires, thinking it was absolutely necessary to survive winter driving, even though our employer allowed you to work from home if the snow was bad. He regretted buying it after the first winter and found it to be unnecessary overkill.

[newtwotown]

Thank you both, good info.

[toobusytoday]

Great answers! I’m just going to add that we have a front wheel drive car and an SUV. I very much appreciate the SUV on those iffy days when I go to work and snow is predicted while I am there.There are a handful of days every winter where I was very glad to have the SUV, but its more of a peace of mind thing than a necessity.

[getatag]

I'll skip all the conversation about snow tires, proper driving techniques, infrequent usage, etc. Skip right to the heart of matters. If you can afford the slight increased cost of ownership, go ahead and get one of the multitudes of AWD vehicles on the market today. There will be a small amount of comfort on those occasional days it's warranted and there is also the various winter and non winter trips you may enjoy out of the LV and into some scenic backroads or fire trails that will more than offset the cost of the AWD. I would not suggest a Tahoe, or Expedition or full-sized crew cab truck, but a nice Subaru, Rav4 or the likes will more than pay dividends in fun quotient.

[blazerj]

Originally Posted by getatag

I'll skip all the conversation about snow tires, proper driving techniques, infrequent usage, etc. Skip right to the heart of matters. If you can afford the slight increased cost of ownership, go ahead and get one of the multitudes of AWD vehicles on the market today. There will be a small amount of comfort on those occasional days it's warranted and there is also the various winter and non winter trips you may enjoy out of the LV and into some scenic backroads or fire trails that will more than offset the cost of the AWD. I would not suggest a Tahoe, or Expedition or full-sized crew cab truck, but a nice Subaru, Rav4 or the likes will more than pay dividends in fun quotient.

I commuted ~100 miles/ day for >5 years and maybe wanted/ needed AWD once or twice. However, OP if you were planning on getting a regular sedan (not a pickup or sports car or hot hatch...) might as well just get the equivalent SUV (they will all be AWD here).

[Gerania]

I grew up and learned to drive in the Northeast, and I love my Subaru. I'm on my second.

[PA991.1]

Everybody always worries about the "getting going" part of driving, which AWD helps, instead of the "stopping" part, which it does not help. Snow tires on cheap wheels from Tire Rack are your best bet. I have had two RWD BMW's and they worked great in the winter with snow tires and a couple of 50lb bags of sand/salt/whatever in the truck. Front wheel drive cars with snow tires are a better bet than an SUV on all seasons unless the snow gets so deep that you high-center.